Itinerary
Our Half Day 3.5 – 4 hour Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours focus on Orca Whales, Transient Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, Grey Whales and Minke Whales. You will also encounter Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, Harbour Seals, Dalls and Harbour Porpoise as well as a myriad of marine birds on your whale watching eco tour.
- Highest Sightings of Orca/Killer Whales on Vancouver Island
- Expert Captain/Naturalist
- Small Groups - 12 passengers or less
- 3.5-4 hour whale/wildlife tours
- $165 / adult
- $1117 / child (ages 4 - 12)
- Not suitable for pregnant women
We are the most centrally located Whale Watching Company on Vancouver Island with the highest sighting of Orcas and Humpback Whales every year. Small Personal Tour groups, never more than 12 passengers on our boats. Marine Wildlife Photography Specialists. Longer Tours to ensure Maximum Viewing Time with the whales and wildlife. We focus on the whole Salish Sea ecosystem. Passionate, certified captains and a exemplary safety record.
Whales are our passion! We love sharing Vancouver Island’s marine ecosystem and all that inhabits it. We are dedicated to responsible and ethical whale watching and wildlife viewing.
Stop At:
• Ocean EcoVentures Whale Watching, 1721 Cowichan Bay Road, Cowichan Bay, British Columbia V9L 3X3 Canada
See Availability.
1721 Cowichan Bay Rd, Cowichan Bay, BC V0R 1N0, Canada
4 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 4 years
Wheelchair accessible
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Check -in 30 minutes prior departure
Pack a small bag with water, snacks, sunscreen and 1 light sweater.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : R3218OLsandrat
Absolutely fabulous from the start, our tour guide, was so passionate and knowledgeable. The trip was the realisation of a lifetimes, dream. A gift from family, the memories I have and the photos are something I will cherish forever.
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Posted On : 2024-01-24
Posted By : elizabethvO4838IW
My friend and I recently took a boat-tour on October 12, 2023. We absolutely loved our experience! We were able to see humpback whales, sea lions and seals. The best part was, there were only about thirty minutes left on the boat-tour, we thought we had missed our opportunity to see orcas, but Captain Simon really tried to find some! We hear "it's not over until it's over" a transient orca appeared! Captain Simon kindly took an extra hour for us to admire the beautiful lone male orca. This moment will be engraved in my memory and I would like to thank him! I realized one of my biggest dreams of seeing a wild orca. A big thank-you :)
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Posted On : 2023-10-21
Posted By : Tania L
Very disappointed and agree with the previous reviewer, David H. We know whales are hard to find but we spent 3.5 hours travelling and less than 30 minutes anywhere near any whales which were too far away to see properly. We didn’t get anywhere near the safe recommended distance and certainly didn’t get close enough to take any photos. My husband took a few with his long lens but even they are really disappointing. We felt the female captain didn’t stay where the whales were for more than 5 minutes before moving on with no attempt to give us a good experience - why move on when that’s what we were there for? - and then our boat broke down so we limped along for 30 minutes to where the orca were. I’d estimate we were 500 yards away at the closest so we couldn’t see them properly either. We had to transfer to the second boat where we were all squashed together for the return journey. We know engine failure can happen but there was no apology and nobody from the company even seemed bothered that the trip turned out to be a bust which is pretty poor. Everyone on the boat on the return journey was quiet and subdued as we were all disappointed. When you wait your whole life to see orca but have a bad experience like this then it’s such a letdown, we were so disappointed. Worst whale watching trip we’ve been on.
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Posted On : 2023-09-22
Posted By : davidhlavacek
My fiancée and I took a morning whale watching tour on 9/20/2023 on the Sonic vessel. We traveled about 2 hours south of Victoria where we finally reached the humpback whales, but spent little time with them. After about 5-10 minutes the female captain, who told us that she had known these particular whales for 15 years, was apparently not very interested in seeing these "known" whales again and to our surprise left the area quickly without us being able to really see such whales (only a few second glimpses). As we were leaving, one of the ship's engines broke down. We were heading in the direction where the orcas were supposed to be, but due to the engine failure it took us forever to reach the orcas, while other boats were there at least 15-20 minutes earlier than us. Once we reached the orcas, we only watched them for a short time (5-10 minutes) and then the captain said we had to leave and transfer to another boat - everyone from the Sonic boat was transferred to another boat with a capacity of 12 people, while there were about 20 people in total. Some people, including elderly people, sat on the floor for more than 1 hour during the bumpy and freezing ride back to Cowichan Bay. What was most ridiculous, the staff acted as if nothing happened - the female captain (can't remember her name) also made a stupid and childish joke by saying to the crowd - "what have we learned today? never buy a boat.. hahaha". Great joke for nearly CAD 400. No apology, no attempt at compensation. In the past we have done over 10 whale watching trips around the world and this was by far the worst experience.
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Posted On : 2023-09-22
Posted By : DaphneandGreg
Jane was at the helm for our trip and she made the experience so memorable. We had a glorious 4 hour trip, leaving fromFrench Creek and up the Strait of Georgia, the weather was wonderful, the seas, relatively calm and the views amazing. We saw a pod of 3 humpbacks initially and then moved further on and saw a mother and her calf. The calf was inquisitive and came close to the zodiac and then they both put on a show for us, truly spectacular and would thoroughly recommend Ocean EcoVentures for your whale watching experience.
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Posted On : 2023-09-20
Posted By : ANASTASIA_P
I went with my 2 daughters 18 & 14 years old. It was very well organized trip, our guide gave us so much information. The best part was when hump Whales were jumping and playing in front of us
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Posted On : 2023-09-07
Posted By : Malcolm_K
Seeing and tracking the orcas, seeing the seals. The Captain was very informative and had many stories to tell. Highly recommend 👌
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Posted On : 2023-09-01
Posted By : Heather s
We had an amazing trip- we left at 5 pm and saw many whales that included several pods for a celebration. We saw them breach, spy hop, and work together to have a meal. It was truly incredible! On the return home, we were treated to the majestic colors of sunset, a porpoise, and an amazingly full moon. The captain was very knowledgeable about the whales and provided lots of information. The boat is small and holds 12 people. I recommend this whale watching outfit!
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Posted On : 2023-08-01
Posted By : Simon_T
A very enjoyable blast in a fast boat. Got a very good, close look at a humpback whale, and saw some seals and eagles.
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Posted On : 2023-07-30
Posted By : Y6158QRjennyk
We had an awesome experience on this tour! The sun was out (early July) but it wasn't too hot and the water was very calm. Everything was organized and as advertised. Just being out on the water was really enjoyable. We got lucky and saw two different pods of orcas, porpoises, all kinds of birds and some jellyfish. Our guide, Nick, was knowledgable and seemed very connected to the wildlife and surrounding area. Overall made our trip to Vancouver Island a memorable experience! (side note - I didn't bring my sunglasses for some reason and the visor I had was very flimsy. I would recommend bringing something to block the sun from your eyes.)
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Posted On : 2023-07-11
